Holiday Ideas!... These might surprise you!

OK... I have done it. Ive just ticked off 'DAY ONE' of the school holidays. I don't mean to sound dramatic, but I am so frustrated about not being able to get into work that everything is feeling magnified right now. I have backup ideas of what to do with the children in the holidays. Unfortunately, I used most of them up by lunch time today.

Successful ideas in the past I will share with you in the hopes that it buys you some time to pretend that your holiday is actually that!

OK... things to do with alot of kids... cheaply...

• Go to Bunnings and buy a $29 box of live earth worms. The children will build cities for them. They will name them. They will play all day. Only problem: They become quite emotionally attached to a certain few and there is no way you can convince a 5 year old that worms do NOT need to come and sleep in there bed tonight because they are cold and scared of the dark.


• Bubbles. At the $2 shops you can get packets of 10 bottles of bubbles with matching blowers. This sounds so simple but it will keep them entertained for ages. Let them use them all up one after another. When your verandah becomes a "really cool slip and slide" its time to bring them in.


• Take them to a toy shop or the toy department. Yes, they of course will want everything that costs over $20 but the idea, which you plant on them before this 'game begins' is this. You want to know what they want for Christmas. So to remember, you are going to take a digital photo of them holding everything they would like. They then have an absolute ball grabbing things off the shelves, smiling and holding it up and believe it or not, they put it back (no white knuckles and threats of breath holding) and run to find the next cant-live-without-it item! Try and encourage them to smiply STAND next to the toys... don't want you to get in trouble for 'mauled' toys! As most mothers know by now, 90% of the things children pick up in the shop because they have to have it, have ALWAYS wanted it and cant LIVE without it, is often forgotten by the time they reach the checkout. Oh.. so heres a tip... to save a tantrum over something they want, say "Fine!" and put it in the trolley. They stop crying, get distracted and I bet you alot of the time they don't remember its there when its time to go. If they do, just do the old "it's sticky" routine.


• Lastly, for now, another way to entertain is to invite some poor, unsuspecting relative over for a cuppa.... and then "would you mind keeping an eye on them for a mo' while I pop up the shop?".... Please note. This technique can usually only be used ONCE.

Anyway, good luck to those needing to be home over the next couple of weeks. Despite the worry of not being in the office (trust it to be end-of-month!) try and keep life in perspective and remember 'this too shall pass'... and so will their childhoods so enjoy them while they are home.

Those kinds of days...

A girlfriend of mine with a little one at home asked me if it was 'just her' that had 'those' kinds of days with kids...This was my reply to her..

Ive got zillions of events that would make you feel better. Lets do just yesterday. Annelise (4) told me that I dont need to give her antibiotics for her ear infection, she's already given it to herself (child proof lid my eye! - so far she is still ok but Im watching)... Hudson got headlice and got upset when I told him he cant take them in the jar he was holding to show his friends (not to mention their mothers!)... Boston found a smiley self inking stamp and 'stamped' himself all over the face JUST before we left for a cousins birthday party... Yes, I have the Palmolive Poison Line on speed dial and I also carry a spare phone. Im tired of cleaning up 'witches potions' made from anything liquid in the cupboard or fridge and I am tired of not being able to answer the phone when it rings because I KNOW I wont be able to talk/hear if I do! Did I mention school holidays starts today for 2 weeks? I pick up my straight jacket from the dry cleaners this morning... feel free to borrow it...

Why do we bite off more than we can chew?

Every time I get tired and grizzle at the overwhelming task of raising four children and how it is slowly driving me to whisper things to myself wide-eyed around the houes, I occasionally get reminded that "well... you chose this.. you wanted four.." OK. Even if it were true that I purposely decided to 'bring this all upon myself', I'm sure most parents with a lot of children will agree with me (deep down of course) when I say 'If I knew then, what I know now...'. Don't get me wrong. My children are happy, healthy, fun and gorgeous and I wouldn't trade places with anyone now that I've met them (ok, truthfully, maybe I'd swap with some people I know ...for at least a day or two), but four is definitely hard work. Dividing my time, my brain and even my physical self into four is just exhausting.. bordering on schizophrenic!! Dividing it again into my work, Grant's work, house building, children's lives', birthday parties etc... well, you can see why I sometimes want to get into the foetal position, rock and sob. But I don't. Why? Because I know that I am building the foundation of an amazing life... I am actually creating my own reality. It won't be long before my struggling new business is a thriving company giving me the opportunity to achieve things I always dreamed of and to allow me to have the gift in my life of 'choice'. Those four little people will grow up to, all going well if we survive the teenage years, become my dear friends and a support to me when I'm old, my chin needs wiping and I need to be wheeled into the sun. The house building headache will turn into a solid family home to be proud of that will not just increase in value, but hold memories for all my family and friends. Grant's work, which is becoming more and more successful every year, will have grown to a point that he can sell it and turn to a change of career that he dreams of. Yes, all these years of tears, nights staring at the ceiling in a rented home too small, car trips with passengers of noisy and teary little ones "he's breathing on me", "she's looking at me".."it's MY turn in the front!"... (OK, it's the driver that can get teary), the piles of bookwork and bills... it will all be worth it I am sure. Anyway, as you can imagine, I have to keep telling myself that or I won't make it through tomorrow.

So, to any parents out there or to anyone who feels they have taken on too much, just remember to keep your eye on the big picture, know that you are not alone and never stop moving. Your day will come and that feeling, believe it or not, is what makes you start all over again when the next dream sticks it head around the corner!

Quote of the day:

Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve. - J. K. Rowling